St. Charles officially has a new city clerk, after Jessica Bridges was appointed by Mayor Clint Hull and sworn in on Monday.
Bridges is being appointed after the candidate initially elected to the post in April, Susan Hanson, declined to take office after relocating outside St. Charles, according to past reporting.
Hanson ran unopposed for city clerk in the April 1 election, but told the city on April 15 she would be unable to assume the post because she was relocating, according to past reporting. Hanson previously told The Beacon-News that she had accepted an offer in the Champaign-Urbana area and moved there around the time of the election.
In May, the St. Charles City Council voted to approve the former city clerk, Nancy Garrison, to return to her post temporarily while the city looked to fill the position, according to past reporting. The appointment was to be made by Hull with the advice and consent of the City Council.
At the meeting on Monday, Hull said the city received 12 applications for the position but ultimately decided on Bridges. She is a field service engineer for Agilent Technologies, according to a news release from St. Charles, and she’d previously run to be a City Council member from the 1st Ward.
Bridges’ appointment was approved unanimously by the City Council, and she was sworn in at its meeting Monday evening.
The city clerk’s responsibilities include attending all City Council meetings, taking meeting minutes and signing official documents, according to the city’s news release. Bridges will serve a two-year term, the city said, and the position will be up for election in 2027.